Friday, 25 May 2012

Fighting Instead of Making Laws..The Nigerian Drama Unfolds In Ukraine

A violent scuffle erupted in Ukraine's parliament Thursday evening
over a bill that would allow the use of the Russian language in courts,
hospitals and other institutions in the Russian-speaking regions of the
country.
The fight broke out between members of the
pro-Western opposition who want to take Ukraine out of Russia's shadow
and lawmakers from President Viktor Yanukovych's party, which bases its
support in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east.
At least one
legislator, opposition lawmaker Mykola Petruk, suffered an apparent blow
to the head and was taken to the hospital with blood streaming down his
face.
Lawmakers have frequently scuffled in the
Ukrainian parliament. A fierce fight in December 2010, which sent at
least six lawmakers to the hospital, started when members of
Yanukovych's party threw chairs and punched opposition lawmakers who had
been blocking legislative work all day.
During a fight
in April 2010, the parliament speaker hid behind an umbrella as
opposition lawmakers threw eggs and smoke bombs to protest a naval pact
with Russia.
Ukraine is deeply divided into the
Russian-speaking east and south, which favors close ties with Moscow,
and the Ukrainian-speaking west, which wants Ukraine to join the Western
club.
The opposition demanded an investigation into Thursday's scuffle.